Design and Construction
Briand shaped a hull with relatively low freeboard and powerful sections that deliver plenty of form stability, while the 16-foot-4-inch beam is carried all the way aft to support the expansive dual-cockpit layout. The hull is vacuum-infused polyester with solid laminate in the keel area, and the matrix in the bilge that helps spread keel loads is glued in place. With iron ballast of 10,803 pounds in the standard 8-foot bulb keel, she carries a ballast-to-displacement ratio near 26 percent; the shoal 6-foot-2-inch keel trades draft for 12,540 pounds of ballast. The interior joinery is well executed in Alpi wood veneers, and the standard of finish generally looks very neat. Jeanneau's trademark walkaround deck opens here to go forward, and outboard of the wheels the side decks slope upward toward the foredeck in a refinement of the ramp first seen on the Sun Odyssey 440 back in 2017, giving easy step-free access and creating a deep bulwark with an extra-high 36-inch rail outboard of the winches.
Rig and Handling
The deck plan centers on a revolutionary Dual Cockpit, with twin helms positioned forward of the aft lounge space and sheltered by the hard top and wide wrap-around windscreen for remarkable visibility. The standard mainsheet arch keeps the sheet safely clear of the cockpit, though the arch-mounted mainsheet uses no traveler, which limits fine control of sail shape. A deck-stepped Sparcraft mast carries an Incidence furling main as standard, paired with a self-tacking jib and a self-tacking staysail; halyards run on a locking track on the mast side. A pair of electric Harken winches at each helm, one with back-winding, allow push-button sail handling, and on the test boat all furling and reefing could be done electrically by one person. Under sail, test sailors found her stiff and quick: heel angle never exceeded 13 degrees in puffy conditions, and she held 30 to 35 degrees apparent wind angle upwind, settling at 7.3 to 7.9 knots with the genoa and topping 8 knots off the wind. The twin rudders all the way aft were entirely balanced, and the shaft-drive Yanmar 110-horsepower inboard turns a three-blade Flexofold prop through a 24-volt system fed by six 95-amp-hour batteries.
Accommodations
The interior is designed as a true private apartment in an unprecedented layout, with the forward owner's suite occupying fully two-thirds of the interior. The main companionway provides private access to that suite and features numerous handholds for safety, opening onto a full-width cabin with the bed offset to port, a secluded desk or optional big wardrobe, and an almost full-width head and shower right forward. Two guest cabins with private bathrooms are accessible from the cockpit by separate companionways just forward of the helms, below the shelter of the hard top; the port cabin is larger with a compact sofa, though the starboard heads access is awkward and the steep descent makes the spaces feel potentially claustrophobic. The galley and full interior were Winch's work: a very long galley to starboard, a saloon for six to port, and flexible twin tables that electrically raise and lower. Notably, the galley can only be reached by climbing up into the cockpit then back down the main companionway, and there is no easily accessed day head beyond the three ensuites.
Exterior Living and Equipment
Aft, the relaxation cockpit holds two saloons—one U-shaped, one L-shaped—that convert to sundecks, served by a gigantic hydraulic swim platform and a fold-out electric grill. The forward control center pairs the helm stations with an above-deck nav station and watch bench, Raymarine instruments in a molded panel, optional Carbonautica composite wheels, and an exterior chart table with GPS and autopilot. Skipping a dinghy garage, she uses telescoping davits and a built-in electric air pump, with dedicated liferaft storage and a stainless tubular lifeline gate that doubles as a fold-down step. A huge forward sail locker can be fitted as an optional skipper cabin, and the lazarette measures 2.1 by 1.5 by 0.35 meters with access from top and bathing platform.
Known Issues
Writing in Yachting World, the tester noted that longer handrails on the coachroof sides for going forward would be beneficial, and that the MFDs and instruments are difficult to read from the outboard steering position. The test boat showed play, friction, and vibration in the steering system, which the builder claimed would be resolved on production boats. You reach the pilot rams and steering gear via a lazarette side hatch just wide enough to crawl through, making it very difficult to reach at sea. Close up, the integration of optional hardtop elements with the mainsheet arch and windscreen leaves too many changes of surface level to look clean and stylish.
The Verdict
The Yachts 55 is a bold rethinking of the cruising yacht interior, trading a conventional belowdecks saloon for an on-deck living space that suits warm-latitude voyaging, wrapped in a stiff, easy-to-handle hull with serious electric sail handling. She is less convincing for those who want a protected indoor cabin or easy at-sea steering-gear access, and her light-air performance and small fuel tank warrant attention.
Pros
- Forward owner's suite with two-thirds of interior space and full-width berth
- Twin forward helms with electric winches for single-handed furling and reefing
- Walkaround side decks with step-free foredeck access and high safety bulwark
- Form-stable hull that stayed under 13 degrees heel in puffs
Cons
- Galley reachable only via cockpit and main companionway
- Steering-gear access impracticable at sea; test-boat vibration claimed fixed in production
- Standard mainsheet arch lacks traveler for sail-shape fine control
- 230-liter fuel tank small for the 110-horsepower engine
